tapas party

For my madre's birthday, we had a tapas party at our house.



Here's what was on the menu:
(from furthest dishes to closest)

• roasted vegetables with caramelized Vermont Butter & Cheese Company's chevre
• thinly sliced chorizo wrapped in puff pastry
• zesty chunky tomato-based gazpacho
• bites of tortilla (Spanish potato omelette)
• mushroom caps stuffed with Willow Hill Farm's Blue Moon blue cheese
• patatas bravas (bites of potato with spicy tomato dipping sauce)
• dishes of chorizo and olives
• roasted citrus & garlic shrimp with romesco sauce (roasted red pepper sauce)
  
• romaine & radicchio salad with thinly-sliced bosc pears, Green Mountain Blue Cheese's Boucher Blue, and a light lemon vinaigrette

pita panini

No bread? No problem.

Throw it in a pita and make a panini!

I made this tasty pita panini with pesto, smoked turkey, and provolone cheese. Yum!

walnut sauce, my newest obsession

In May, at Pinocchio in Nerja, Spain, I enjoyed a delicious dish of artichoke ravioli with a creamy walnut sauce. Even now, I'm thinking about that meal!

The other day, I cooked up some tortellini, tossed it with parmesan cheese, and poured my homemade walnut sauce over it -- toasted walnut chunks, a little heavy cream, chopped fresh parsley, salt & pepper, and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Delicious. =)

cold rain, hot food

With all the rain we're getting hit with, I've been more in the mood for winter-type comfort food. So, I've been breaking out the casserole dishes, serving up mac & cheese, chili and hot soups. Pictured here is one of my favorite comfort foods - my take on Ireland's colcannon. It's got creamy mashed potatoes, boiled green cabbage bits, and ham. Serve it up with a pat of butter, and you're on your way to feeling warm.